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Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10958, 26 December 1911, Page 3

An up-to-date land agent in . New Plymouth gives a topical turn to his advertisements. Of a property in the new electorate of Raglan he savs: "This place is well worthy the attention of any retired M.P. or ex-Minister who seeks a new outlet for his energies. The vendor being desirous of introducing a little tone into the district (where he has other interests), will allow a cash discount of 1} per cent, to an ex-M.P., or 21 per cent, to an Honorable." Of another property he says: "This farm can be strongly recommended to any ex-member of the late Parliament who finds it necessary to make a fresh startin life. In the progressive district of Raglan he may at once repair his fortunes and improve his mind by association with the people of a community with sound Reform views." New Zealand gained 166 new citizens by naturalisation last year, and in 27 years it obtained 7663 through the same means, the great majority being from European countries. Last year the naturalisations were in respect to natives of the following countries:—Aus-tria-Hungary 47, Germany 18, Denmark 13, Sweden 18, Norway 15, Russian Empire 9, Syria. 3, Switzerland 5, Greece 4, Belgium 4, France 7, Italy 8, United States of America 6, other countries 9—a total of 159 males and 7 females. The half-yearly meeting of Loyal Oamaru Lodge was held on Friday night, N.G. Bro. ,A. W 7 hyte presiding. After the usual routine business had been disposed of, the election of officers for the ensuing term was proceeded with and resulted as follows: —G.M., Bro. A. Whvte; N.G., Bro. A. E. Sherwin; V.G., Bro. W. Isdale; E.S., Bro. A. Miller; Warden, Bro. C. Taylor; Guardian, Bro. W. Robson; Supporters to N.G., Bros. C. Manley and Kilgour; Supporters to V.G., Bros. T. Familton and Stone; Auditor, P.P.G.M. Bro. Reid; Chemist, Bro. Procter. The following visitors responded to the second toast: —P.G. Bro. Grico (Kangaroo Lodge, Brisbane), P.G. Bro. Bcv.au (Caversham Lodge), P.G. Bro. Brownlee (Milton Lodge), P.G. Bro. Nichols (Pliilipstown Lodge), and members of Band of Friendship Lodge (Kakanui). Two candidates were nominated for membership, and the lodge closed in Friendship, Love, and Truth. After closing, the lodge entertained the visiting brethren at a social evening of speech, song, and story. The following toasts were honored: —"The King," proposed by the Chairman (P.G. Bro. W. Couper); "The Manchester Unity," proposed by P.G. Bro. Grico (Brisbane) and responded to by P. Secretary Bro. Jas. Bee; "The Newly-elected Officers," proposed hy P.G. Bro. Carson; "The Visitors," proposed by P.O. Bro. C. Manley, and responded to by Bro. Grice and representatives of Band of Friendship Lodge (Kakanui); "The P.G.'s," proposed ?jy G.M. Bro. Whytc, and responded to by tho P.G.'s present; "The Unsuccessful Candidates," proposed by P.G. Bro. M'Gregor; "Tho Pianist," proposed by N.G. Bro. Sherwin, and responded to by Bro. Boaden ; and "The Chairman," proposed by Bro. Eddington. Harmony was contributed by Bros. Hepworth, H. Eddington, M'Gregor, Stone, A. Eddington, Couper and Robson. A reviewer writes as follows regarding the late Sir George Newnes, the successful and wealthy newspaper proprietor: "A man who, being neither a vegetarian nor a pressman, ran a vegetarian restaurant for a few weeks in order to acquire the wherewithal to launch a new periodical—launched it with no more capital than was required to pay the printer's bill for the first number, prospered at once, and never ceased to prosper until he had amassed great wealth- —has a niche marked out for him in advance in any Temple of Fame of the kind first planned by Samuel Smiles."

The Egyptian Gazette, in a leading article of November 2nd, mentions that the Italian journalists have been very ingenious in reporting news from the front. They first of all adopted a code, and when they cabled that 5000 oranges had been sent from Syracuse, this meant that 5000 Turks had started for Tripoli. But now it seems that any press telegrams dealing with oranges are suppressed, which is perhaps a little hard on the orange trade. Another device was to frame messages so that they seemed to come from England, Tripoli and other towns being described as Brighton, Oxford, and Cambridge. The rise of English words in telegraphic messages has now been forbidden.

It will be remembered, that when the Marys of the Empire gave their great Coronation gift to Queen Mary, of which the personal part consisted of the Insignia of the Garter, her Majesty said that she would devote the monetary portion (£12,500) to "a charitable object in which I am greatly interest." The. Queen's plan has now been announced to be the establishment of a holiday home for working girls of London, and for this purpose the trustees have acquired Barn House, "Whitstable, on the Kentish coast. It is a picturesque building pleasantly situated by the sea, with a large orchard, garden, and lawns for tennis and croquet. It will accommodate about 15 girls at a. time, selected from the 50 clubs belongings to the London Girls' Club Union, whose aggregate membership is between 4000 and 5000. The girls chosen for two or three weeks' holiday at Whitstable will be those most urgently in need of rest and recreation. Professor Silvanns Thompson, speaking at a meeting of the Incorporated Society of Musicians at the Steinwny Hall London, recently, on "Some Experiments in Acoustics," said young people could hear lower notes than old people, and the animals at the Zoo, particularly cats, heard all sorts of sounds that we could not hear. He represented the effect of the difference of the pitch of notes by displaying on the screen waved lines which had been traced by the vibration of sound through an instrument known as the phonotograph. By the invention of gramophones, he said, they had been able to. find that these waved lines represented musical sounds, as well ;is variations of pitcli. While he could hardly regard" the gramophone as a musical instrument, except" in. certain circumstances, he looked upon it. as a valuable scientific instrument. The unpromising weatber of Saturday evening was not sufficient to keep folk indoors; consequently a large and orderly crowd, paraded! the streets until the hour of shop closing. As has already been stated! by us, most of the tradesmen in -town express satisfaction with, the Christmas business. A long season of unsettled weatber, so far as it concerned some businesses, certainly resultedl ■ in a diversion of the patronage usually paid at this season to certain lines, so that, if there were less dust--coats sold than usual, there were more;' rain-coats, and, if less sunshades, there were 'more umbrellas. Most of the houses that deal in fancy goods suitable for presents were crowded 1 with customers all the evening, '-. and' the assistants ;had a. particularly busy time. Strange to say, the class of business that does not seem to have received its share of extra patronage is that of the jeweller. Yesterday (Christmas Day) was, as Js usual, spent quietly, most people pre- i

ferring the time-honored custom of the family gathering if> more ardent methods. Notwithstanding the unpromising weather, a. large number visited the Gardens in the afternoon. To-day (Boxing Day) will be differently spent, and townspeople and visitors have quite a choice of entertainments. Tho athletic sports at Duntroon, Enfield, and Waimate are each certain to draw large crowds from Oamaru should the weather prove more favorable, and to each of the places mentioned special and ordinary trains will run at convenient hours. In addition to these public functions many others 1 of a private nature have been arranged, so that for all there is the prospect of a-goqd holiday. Durin'g the period Ist to 15th December 9660 skins, valued at £l2O, were exported from Oamaru. A nicely-illustrated brochure, conveys the seasons greetings of the Minister in charge of the Agriculture, Commerce, and! Education' Departments (the Hoi T. Mackenzie). Seasonable wishes are also expressed by the staffs of the Marlborough Express and Otautau Standard. For the quarter ending 30th September, 1911, 56 charges l were.investigated in. the Magistrate's Court at Oamaru, involving proceedings against 49 males and 7 females, oa'ch offence being accounted! as against a, distinct person. There were 14 arrests (all males) and 12 (35 males and 7 females) were called on to answer summonses. Of'those arrests one offence was dismissed on its merits and' one was committed; for trial, and 12 were summaxily dealt with. There were ll charges of drunkenness, all of which were met by a- fine, and 1 offender was convicted and discharged. Of the summonsese 7 were discharged by the Magistrate for want of prosecution or want of evidence, those against It males and 5 females were dismissed on their merits, and there were 23 (21 male and 2 female) summary convictions. Three summonses (males) were for offences against the person, and there were 20 other offences not stipulated in the return against 18 males and 2 females, 10 of which (against 8 males and 2 females) were met by a fine and 1 (male) by imprisonment in lieu of fine or surety. Five orders were made and 7 weTe convicted and discharged. Old Chatham Islanders, according to a recently returned visitor, say that tho weather experienced there this summer is the worst they have known (says the Southland News). For the past five or six weeks the daily portion has been heavy gales, accompanied by thunder and lightning; shearing is behind, and fishing is at a standstill.

The late Sir George Newnes, who started his marvellous journalistic career by publishing cheap railway literature, once saidi to Mr Stead, of the Review of Reviews:—"There is one kind' of journalism which directs l the affairs of nations; it makes and unmakes Cabinets; it upsets Governments, builds up navies, and does many other great things. It is magnificent. This is your journalism. There is another kind of .journalism which lias no such great ambitions. It is content to plod on, year after year, giving wholesome and harmless entertainment to crowds of hardworking people, craving for a little fun and amusement. It is quite humble and unpretentious. That is my journalism."

The sports at Enfield to-day should draw a liberal measure of patronage. This is the ninth gathering, and, if like its eight predecessors—and there is no reason to think otherwise—a good day's sport is reasonably expected. The 10th Regimental Band has been engaged for tho day, and the usual special train, leaving Oamarii at 9.35 a.m., will run. We have to acknowledge the receipt of a calendar from the National Insurance Co.

An election of one duly qualified person to represent the AVaimate County on the AVaimate Hospital Board of Management will bo held on Friday, 12th January. Nominations will he received at the AVaimate County Council Chambers lip to 12 o'clock noon on 6th January.

Many butchers who "sell nothing but good old English beef" were placed in an awkward predicament during the recent dock strike, when their shops were devoid of supplies, but full of clamoring customers. . Their "good old English beef" was held up in the docks — an explanation they could hardly give their trusting clients! We take the following eminently felicitous quotations from the Glasgow Evening News: — On Mr Arthur Balfour's Resignation: "And slowly answered Arthur. . . . 'Tho old order cliangeth, yielding place., to new.' " —"Tennyson: "Morte d'Arthur." On the New Unionist Leader (Mr Bouar Law): "Law is the last result of human wisdom acting upon human experience for the benefit of the public." —Fjfmuel Johnson. "Law is king of all." —Dean Alford: "School of the Heart." Since September 9 there has been in effect in New York a law which permits the destruction of any commercial sign or advertisement on a highway. It authorises the destruction "by anyone" of such signs and advertisements "within the limits of a public highway." Taking advantage of the law, a squad of automobilists,' representing the Automobile Club of America, has been touring the State, armed 'with axes and hatchets, destroying thousands, of advertising signs which have disfigured the country roads. On fences, rocks, and trees throughout the State the wandering advertiser had erected these defacing signs, and the law was the result of a general protest by automobilists and others. Of course, the law does not apply to cases where owners of land near cities, or elsewhere, have sold the privilege of erecting advertisement signs, but it is made a crime to paint or erect any advertisement on private property without the written consent of the owner, although Srivate persons arc not authorise?! to estroy such signs on private property. Already, it is reported, the appearance of the country highways of New York has been greatly improved by reason of the activity 6f the sign-destroyers. Thus the Sydney Morning "Herald of December 14: The weather has recently gone beyond the limits of climatic exasperation. In this respect Sydney, with its equable summer climate, tempered with cool sea breezes, has usually little reason for finding fault. It has been the sultriness of the atmosphere rather than the actual blaze of the sun that has been most remarkable during the last two or three days. Summer languor seemed to have descended on everyone yesterday. Men and women sauntered'in leisurely fashion through the streets; no one seemed to have any engagement to keep, much less any business to transact. Moreover, people who are ordinarily bad-tempered were fretful, irritable, nervous. Shop assistants were not quite so polite as usual; even some of the tram conductors, said to he the most courteous in Australasia, were a little snappish. The really sensible costumes were surprisingly few. There were thousands of men yesterday who appeared to regard heavy tweed suits as appropriate attire. There were scarcely any who were brave enough to wear light flannel. suits, in which they would have felt a great deal more comfortable. To add to yesterday's discomfort, tho water supplies in one or two areas were for some reason ciit off just when they were most needed. Over 200 tons of ice sold in the city yesterday, one firm disposing of 90 tons. "The recent wharf pillaging cases went to show very, clearly," said Mr Kettle, S.-M,., at the Auckland Court on AA r ednesday "last, "that practically anyone, can go down to the wharf and cart away a case or two, and especially if he is known. I believe I could do it myself." "Yes,", said some one at the solicitors', table, amidst laughter, "and your Worship is probably well' known to a good many of the men down there." Mr Kettle added that, in Bis opinion, -wharf robberies were directly the "result of las business methods, and .there were always men knocking about who were smart enough to take advantage of any laxity that occurred to Have a "cut in on their own account." A humorous' incident in connection with the Raglan -election is recorded by the Waikato the hall at\Tiiaka;iii>through some mismanagement, 'wasv-nired to two of the candidates for use on the same night. Both candidates put in an appearance and both laid claim to the building. An argument and a consultation resulted in the two appearing on the platform together, when Mr "Bollard explained the position to the audience, at the same time offering to occupy the chair while his opponent addressed the meeting, pro-

Tided Mr Bell returned the compliment. To this the latter willingly agreed, and on Mr Bell resuming his seat after delivering his views. Mr Bollard, as chairman, called for questions, which, he was sure, Mr Bell would be pleased to answer. When the question lis: was exhausted. Mr Bollard made h:s speech. the vacated chair being taken by Mr Bell. Alternately the candidates occupied and r.- occupied th- platform, and r »e meeting broke up in good humor Rafter a vote of thank. 1:.;<1 ii--'ti aeeord- / ed each, candidate bv acclamation and tactfully not by a of hands. Whether the hiring fee r-r tl:e hall was paid in duplicate, or shared !>y the opponents, is not stated.

An English visitor., Colonel _A. Colvil'le. who" Is now touring New Zealand, told'a Auckland Heral-I reporter this week that he had tir.-t vi.-ited Canada, and had b-en immensely impressed with its possibCities. Already it was a "reat factor in the wheat market, and its trade was developing in a remarkable fashion. The recent change of Government, far from baring anyserious effect, seemed to be responsible for renewed energy in many of the most important Departments of the Public Service, and the settlement of land especiallv was goiug ahead at an astonishing rate. Colonel Colvillc, who is accompanied by his wife, will spend four or five weeks in visiting the bestknown parts of the Dominion.